A Love That Cannot Die: Part Two
by Catherine Chen
Summary: This story continues where the last part left off. A sequel, but not really. Continue to follow the story after GWTW of Scarlett, Rhett, Wade, Ella and two of my own characters, Frederick and Dominique. Please enjoy and REVIEW! Much love, Cat
1. My Dress Has Always Been MyStrongestSuit

I could not sleep a few nights ago so I wrote a cute little bit about Scarlett/Rhett that I'll put in later as a "romantic interlude" after he sends the children to bed and arranges a romantic dinner after she hasn't been feeling well. Something to look forward to, but not anything particularly magnificent. Anyway, where were we? Ah, yes...

PLEASE REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat

-----

"Mrs. Butler, a moment, I am sketching as quickly as I can," Dominique pleaded, her pencil racing across the paper in an attempt to capture Scarlett's vision.

"No, Dominique, not like that, I want it to sit at my natural waist," she explained patiently.

"Yes, Mrs. Butler," replied the girl, taking another piece of paper out and quickly drawing another body form and beginning to adjust the waist as Scarlett wanted.

"Exactly!" Scarlett cried enthusiastically. "Yes, and perhaps a...no, wait, try adding a trim right there," she suggested.

"Mrs. Butler?" prompted Dominique after she hadn't heard a response for a few moments.

Scarlett's brow was furrowed in deep concentration. She took the paper from the seamstress, scrutinizing apparently every line and every sweeping curve. "Perfect," she pronounced it, throwing an arm around Dominique for a quick hug. "He will love it," she murmured to herself.

"Yes, well..." began Dominique, somewhat startled by Scarlett's uncharacteristic and vaguely improper show of affection and appreciation. "We can begin with the fabric next week, I will see you then," she said as she gathered her things, leaving Scarlett to stare at the drawing.

Dominique turned the knob of the door, looking back for a moment to make sure she hadn't forgotten something before stepping forward and colliding with a very solid male chest. "Frederick?" she said brokenly, as his hands came up to catch her arms and brace her from the impact and her body immediately reacted to their close proximity.

"Can we find somewhere to talk?" he asked, his low voice sending shivers of uncertainty and desire through her.

_She shouldn't. He affected her far too much._ Dominique had promised herself after having her heart broken that she would be warier the next time a man seemingly carried by fate appeared to her. But her heart still raced and foolishly hoped that he was different...that he could be what she needed and in some ways had been waiting for without knowing it.

Dominique found herself nodding, only realizing she had agreed when she felt his hand move to the small of her back and usher her out the door and to his waiting carriage.


	2. You Have the Power to Hypnotize Me

I've been on a bit of a break. It's rather difficult to keep the story moving especially when I have so many other projects sitting in my schedule as well. If you'd like updates to come sooner you could try REVIEWING more, thereby pushing this story to the top of my SCHEDULE WHICH IS POSTED ON MY PROFILE.

As always, please enjoy, and PLEASE REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat.

-----

Frederick seated himself across from her after he made sure she was settled on her side of the carriage and perfectly comfortable. He took a deep breath which he needed as he began to expound upon his behavior the day before. "I feel like...no, I know I have gone about this the wrong way. Still, I cannot seem to find any remorse for my behavior. If I hadn't...well, I wouldn't know how much you affect me and I wouldn't have begun to imagine what there might be between us. I don't want you to think the worst of me, of course," he hurriedly interjected. "I'm not just some reckless bounder who thinks he can overstep himself with any woman who crosses his path." His face softened, the lines of worry disappearing as he slowly began to smile as though recalling a fond memory. "There's just something about you that I...I can't really explain it, but you...," he broke off as his hand raised almost of its own accord to gently grasp a lock of her hair that had fallen out of its coif and rub it gently with his thumb.

"Yes?" Dominique prompted, her lower lip trembling slightly as her mouth released the last consonant, seemingly as captivated as he was, her brown eyes widened as though they wondered at her ability to be caught up in something her mind had yet to comprehend.

He watched as her eyelids drifted down, fanning out across the soft curve of her cheeks. Never had he been so acutely aware of a woman's every movement, never had he wanted so badly to be important to her, to have a place in her life, to have her all to himself. He found it miraculous that this delicate beauty had yet to be claimed by a husband or beau.

She seemed to gather her thoughts and when she gazed up at him once more her eyes were cleared off any misty haze and flashed intelligence in their depths. "Might I ask where we are going, Mr. Arlington?"

"Frederick," he corrected immediately. "Ah, we have not started moving yet," he said almost sheepishly, "I forgot to give the driver any instructions. Where would you like to go? That is, may I take you back to your address?"

Dominique looked away for a moment, so quickly that he might have missed it if he wasn't watching her so closely. "You may take me back to my shop, Frederick. I have some work I need to do."

Businesslike and proper. She had regained control of herself and he found he did not like it at all. Not when it meant that she was trying to distance herself from him. "Can I see you again?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to refuse him but hesitated at the thought of possibly never seeing him again. Despite their mutual connections, there was no guarantee that their paths would cross, they hadn't thus far..."Yes," she found herself responding, too foolishly delighted at his quick, winning grin to reprimand herself just yet.


	3. Everything's Right What a Night for Love

I've lost my momentum. I put them back together. That was my goal. It is accomplished now. I came up with sort of plot twist/surprise a while ago and while I still think it's a good idea, it's not what I love. I love romance with splashes of drama and hints of inner contemplation. This...I feel lost. I need my readers to come back to me, so PLEASE REVIEW and help me find voice again with this story. Reviews make me happy and put me in a good mood for writing, occasionally they'll give me ideas or alert me to a weak point I need to remedy.

So as always, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat.

-----

Music sometimes helps. My playlist for this chapter.

1) Ooh Oh----Keri Noble 2) Let It Go---Fauxliage 3) Almost Lover---A Fine Frenzy

4) Dreams Collide---Colbie Caillat 5) Guess It May----Rosie Thomas

6) Don't Ever----Missy Higgins 7) Borrowed Time---A Fine Frenzy

8) Other Side of the World----KT Tunstall

-----

"You look ravishing," he murmured, taking her hand as she descended the last few steps of the staircase.

Scarlett closed her eyes, her head tilting back a bit as she breathed in as though she was letting his words wash over her like a light, cleansing rain or a sweet, gentle breeze. Her lips turned up slightly at the corners before she slowly opened her eyes to look at him, allowing him to lead her to the dining room, resting her head lightly on his arm. He was so big, so warm, an earthy, rich, masculine quality to him even in his impeccably tailored evening clothes. She let her weight sink into him..._it was just so easy_...relaxing her muscles, feeling so comfortable, so safe.

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she sat, before adjusting her chair for her and moving to his place across the table. Rhett grinned and began to tell her of the progress Wade was making in school and how bright the teacher already thought him, while his eyes catalogued the dark circles under her eyes, the strain in her face as she smiled wanly at him, the green orbs sparkling with interest, enchanting him just as surely as they had that first day. "That's wonderful, Rhett," she said, her voice trailing off, lingering over his name. He would have accused her of feigning an affectation if not for the rise and fall of her chest combined with the breathy quality of her voice. Was it difficult for her to even draw in air to speak? He felt helpless, unsure of himself in a way he had never been alright with, that he had steadfastly avoided as much as he could for the majority of his life. Reaching across the table, he took her hand in his, gently stroking the knuckle of her forefinger with his thumb. "Rhett? Is there something wrong?" she asked, her brow furrowing the slightest bit. "Not at all, darling," he assured her. "I just...I can't bear to be parted from you is all."

"What? Rhett, you're just across the table," she reasoned, laughing at him in that way she had, not trilling, not chucking, but embodying the essence of joy in the brightness of her eyes, the soft lines of her face, the laughter that was more like breathing, as though her joy was that natural, that a part of her physiological response to her surroundings. To him.

"That can easily be remedied," he answered smoothly, placing his glass of wine and bowl of soup beside hers as he seated himself and drew her against him, nuzzling his face against her hair.

"Now really, Rhett. And after all the trouble they took to set the table you..."

He kissed her softly, taking her lower lip lightly between his, letting his breath mingle with hers until he could feel her pulse beneath his fingers at her neck quicken. Shifting so his chair faced hers, he pulled her closer, his hands sliding easily over her back to the fastenings of her gown.

She moved closer, almost crawling into his lap, her hands tentatively lighting on his forearms, gripped tightly when she felt his tongue enter her mouth. The confidence she had feigned during their last encounters had left her. She was once again that little girl, seeking comfort, love, blindly reaching out for him, untutored and eager but oh so afraid of being rebuffed. Instead of arching her head back when his lips wandered down to her neck, she bent forward, embracing his, holding him close. "Rhett..." she whispered.

-----

Well, that went better than I thought it would. I'm thinking it's time for another M-rated chapter. Tell me what you think.

PLEASE REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat.


	4. Turns Out to Be Someone to Watch Over Me

You have all been so marvelous in reviewing and I've just been stressed and overworked and having little miniature breakdowns at how frustrating college is. I have returned to you though, and I do expect lots of lovely reviews to welcome me back. Sometimes I reread what I've written and I'm amazed at the level of brilliance that has burst from my brain in a random fit of inspiration and wonder how I could possibly recreate that. Hopefully, you'll like my latest attempt.

**As always, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Much love, Cat.**

-----

As usual, Rhett seemed to instinctively know what she needed, drawing her closer and almost cradling her in his arms like a child. In their most violent, passionate moments the barriers that stood between them in the tedium of daily life melted away. During those most intimate and vulnerable intervals of time, he felt free to offer her comfort, to coddle her and cherish her, and she felt free to accept what he offered without questioning his motivations or her worthiness. He rested his chin on top of her head as her hands slipped to the buttons of his shirt.

He brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She tilted her head to the side, leaning into his caress as a kitten would react to the hand petting it. Shrugging off his dinner jacket, he draped it over her shoulders before lifting her into his arms. Just as he was about to start ascending up the staircase she spoke. "It seems like we've been here at least once before," she teased.

"Would you prefer to stay in the dining room then?" he asked with all the gentlemanly courtesy he could possibly inject into the sentence, breathing an inward sigh of relief that she was still fit enough to tease him. Her melancholy airs of late had worried him far more than he would let her see. It was his duty to be strong and never let her see the cracks in his armor, so she could draw strength from his confidence and apparent mastery.

She smiled. "What? And make love in a chair?"

"Ah, Scarlett. Your husband has been remiss in his duties, I see. There are numerous possibilities that don't involve squeezing uncomfortably into a chair," he returned dryly.

Scarlett's lips parted and she stared at him mutely for a few moments as if she was still processing that bit of information. Then she smacked him lightly on the shoulder. "You awful man. I thought you had promised not to tease me anymore."

He kissed her lightly before smiling against her lips and giving his response. "I don't recall ever making such a promise, Mrs. Butler. I don't know why I should ever do such a foolhardy thing when you know that one of my favorite entertainments is causing you to blush so prettily. Besides, who said I was teasing?"

"Oh, you…you…odious man," she floundered, burying her face in his chest from embarrassment, the smile in her voice giving lie to her apparent displeasure.

Rhett laughed the sound vibrating through his chest and filling the room with its resounding warmth. He had the full, rich laugh of a baritone and she couldn't help but be caught up in his mirth. "Ah, so you aren't mad at me," he teased when he beheld the lively light dancing in her eyes.

She tried to suppress her smile by pressing her lips together but only succeeded in pursing them which he quickly took advantage of by stealing another kiss.

"Well, I can't spend the night holding you in my arms at the base of a staircase, as pleasant as it is," Rhett sighed dramatically. "I suppose it must be our bedroom or the parlor down the hall as my arms can't support you for much longer."

She narrowed her eyes at his in mock annoyance, but when he only grinned back at her she lay her head against his chest and responded with one word. "Parlor."

"As you wish, my dear," he said graciously, carrying her into the parlor and seating himself on a large, plush couch, pulling her into his lap and waiting while she arranged her skirts. She had thankfully worn a simple dress for dining at home and not one requiring one of those dreadful hoop contraptions so she could recline against him comfortably. "Happy?"

"Deliriously so," she replied wryly but then smiling down at him in that way that never failed to make his chest tighten.

"So, if numerous possibilities are feasible in a dining room what sorts of things can be accomplished on a parlor couch?" she asked innocently.

"As they say, 'All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better'," he murmured as he tugged at the ribbon holding back her hair, smiling at the way the curls tumbled over her shoulders. "I'm sure if we truly concentrate all our efforts, we'll think of something."

-----

Ah! OK, I really intended to get to the M but I'm done with writing for the day and it felt like a good place to cut it off. PLEASE REVIEW and the new chapter will be up in no time at all.


	5. Warm is The Touch of Your Fingertips

A slightly overdone update that just missed Valentine's Day (...though technically I wrote it before then. I just didn't have time to type it up.) Hope you like it. Oh, and ff has issues with accepting my edits so in case it doesn't take, the last sentence of the first paragraph of the last chapter should read "He rested his chin on top of her head as her hands slipped to the buttons of his shirt." OK, then.

As always, PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Much love, Cat

-----

Scarlett smiled up at him adoringly when he lifted his head, her small white teeth framed by slightly swollen, red lips. Still smiling widely like an infatuated schoolgirl, she let him sit her between his thighs as he set to work on the buttons at the back of her dress.

His hands were uncharacteristically clumsy over the chaste pearl enclosures.

She smiled when he muttered darkly into her shoulder. "Why do you hate the buttons?" she asked.

"Because they were probably designed by a matronly spinster with the object of thwarting a man's desire," Rhett replied. He finally pried two buttons free, revealing an inch or two of skin below the nape of her neck. Pressing his lips to it, he groaned. "Whatever possessed you to buy this dress?"

"You did. Remember?" she asked, twisting her head a quarter-turn to look back at him. "It was the same day we bought that nightgown you love so much. You said we needed to buy this to balance out my wardrobe as it made you feel like a lecherous rake seducing a naive (debutante)." Her voice had taken on a soft tone and he knew she was reliving how happy they had been then.

"I remember," he said simply, rubbing his hands lightly over her bare upper arms.

She turned her head so she sat facing forward again, gazing into the fireplace. "Besides, Rhett, when have you ever been one to back down from a challenge?"

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her up against his chest. "And what do I get as a prize if I succeed?" he murmured, nuzzling his face against the copious amounts of gleaming dark hair picking up highlights from the glow of the fire.

"There's only one way to for you to find out," she said.

He gripped the two panels at the neck of her dress and pulled them apart with controlled force, sending tiny pearl buttons falling to the floor.

"Rhett!" she admonished without heat.

He chose not to respond, instead cupping her jaw in his hands and claiming her lips in a kiss with the same intense, controlled force he had used to open the back of her dress.

Just as easily, she capitulated to his desires, quite sensibly, as they were her own. She felt a deliciously languid warmth seep into her limbs as she kissed him. She tilted her head back and watched raptly as he divested himself of the rest of his garments. His well-muscled form had never failed to impress her or rob her of her wits.

When he returned to her welcoming arms, she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. "There will never be anyone else for me."

He stilled. His hand closed over her breast, drifted down to her stomach. His lips were fierce and unyielding against hers but she gloried in it. "I've never wanted to claim someone as mine as much as I have wanted to have you...to capture that wild, reckless strength and courageous spirit and have it near me every day, every night." His mouth grazed her stomach, wandered lower, and she clenched her hands over his shoulders.

Her head fell back as she surrendered to the sensations he was able to conjure up so effortlessly. Gasping for breath, she ran trembling hands over his back when he rose to lie beside her, cuddling her close on the narrow couch. Instinctively she knew that it wasn't merely prowess. She responded to him so strongly, so violently, so wholly because...she loved him.

He lifted her astride him, gently parting her and slowly letting her body accept his. Lightly gripping her hips, he coaxed her into a rhythm, feeling a surge of triumph as her eyes darkened into twin, glittering emeralds and she began to quicken their pace on her own. He let out a harsh growl when she clenched around him, burying his shout of release into her neck so as not to alert anyone in the house.

They disentangled their limbs and he held her close when she curled up against him, fitting herself to the side of his body so curves met angles and it seemed as though she had always been meant to match to him.

"The love of my heart for every day of my life."

"For always."

-----

Yes, very sappy. But remember...it was for Valentine's Day. :)


End file.
